Nick Lavars

Nick was born outside of Melbourne, Australia, with a general curiosity that has drawn him to some distant (and very cold) places. Somewhere between enduring a winter in the Canadian Rockies and trekking through Chilean Patagonia, he graduated from university and pursued a career in journalism. Having worked for publications such as The Santiago Times and The Conversation, he now writes for Gizmag from Melbourne, excited by tech and all forms of innovation, the city's bizarre weather and curried egg sandwiches.

People certainly haven't been afraid to try and reinvent the umbrella over the years.Now a team of Chinese designers are looking to do away with the awkward metal poles and canopy altogether, relying instead on a "force field" of air to keep you nice...

Auto parts manufacturer SFD Industries is at the forefront of a rise in motorized trike drifting, and is staking its claim in the form of the Big Wheel Drift Trike. Packing a whopping 26-inch front wheel, it runs on a 6.5 hp motor and is proportioned...

Shimano has made its first foray into the increasingly crowded action cam market with the CM-1000 Sport Camera. Lightweight and HD-capable, the camera is ANT+ compatible and could prove a useful tool for reviewing performance.

The accuracy of snipers is often dictated by wind, rain dust and not to mention, targets constantly on the move. As it turns out, over the last few months DARPA has been conducting live-fire tests of guided .50 caliber bullets, a development that cou...

Aiming to open its doors this (northern) summer, Original Unverpackt is set to become Germany's first waste-free supermarket. Customers bring containers to take the produce away, borrow reusable containers from the store or use bags made from recycle...

Taiwan-based startup Gogoro drew plenty of attention when it unveiled its Smartscooter at CES earlier this year. The thinking is that these electric two-wheelers will be ridden around urban centers and their lithium-ion batteries switched over at exchanges when they run out of juice. The idea is now one step closer to reality, with the announcement of a pilot program in Taiwan ahead of a launch this coming summer. Read More

Volvo has long traded on its reputation for passenger safety, but it is also looking out for pedestrians and cyclists. In keeping with this, its newly announced Life Paint is aimed at making cyclists easier to see at night, by acting as an invisible reflective spray that glows under the glare of a car's headlights. Read More

Not all that long ago, to call yourself a broadcaster you needed the blessing of station executives and a pretty smile. But communications technology is advancing so quickly that anybody with an internet connection can now share their perspective with the world. Twitter and Facebook brought this idea into the mainstream with text, photos and emails and now new players are arriving to take things in almost-scary new directions. Launched today, the Periscope live video app can turn anybody with an iPhone into a citizen journalist, whether they be streaming the scene of a disaster-zone or coming at you live from the breakfast table. Read More

Mark Zuckerberg's plans to use unmanned drones to provide internet connections appear one step closer to reality. The Facebook CEO today revealed that his Internet.org initiative has put the aircraft to the test for the first time, describing the operation as a success. Read More

If you want to operate your drone for commercial reasons in the US at the moment, there are considerable hoops you'll need to fly through first. But an announcement today from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to make this process more efficient, throwing a blanket approval over operators that meet a certain criteria. Read More

Whether it be advice from a dentist or preparing their body for beach season, there's a host of reasons people might reach for an artificial sweetener rather than sugar – though its cancer-fighting properties are unlikely to be one of them. But new research shows that the common sugar substitute known as saccharin could hamper the growth of particular cancers, with scientists claiming it could form the basis for new kinds of drug treatments. Read More

For under-resourced park rangers patrolling the porous, poacher-friendly borders of Africa's national parks, conserving the ailing rhino and elephant populations is certainly a tall order. With tusks and horns only yielding more and more cash on black markets all across Asia, poaching numbers are on the rise and the future of local species hangs in the balance. But equipped with drones, big data and high-tech infrared cameras, one organization says it has the capabilities to start stemming the tide. Read More

It's been more than a year in the making but it seems that the regulatory wheels are beginning to turn on Amazon's bold plan for drone delivery. The FAA has today granted the online retailer permission to start testing its unmanned aircraft as part of its Prime Air initiative. It does come with its share of caveats, however, so don't expect a box set to be plonked down on your doorstep anytime soon. Read More

Bedsores are more than a pain in the backside for bedridden folk, they can develop into dangerous infections and heighten the chances of a patient dying. While swollen ulcers on the skin are a pretty sure sign of their presence, by this point it is often too late for some of their effects to be reversed. But a team of researchers have developed what could function as an early warning system, a smart bandage containing flexible electronics that detects tissue damage before it becomes visible on the surface of the skin. Read More